Headlight trouble

So I have a 2010 Tacoma with retrofit hids. When I go to turn my headlights on, the fogs, taillights, and little yellow lights in the corner of the lights turn on but not the headlights. I have to flip from on to off a few times, then the lights turn on. I have checked all connections and the ground and all seems to be fine....do I need new ballasts, or how do I troubleshoot? Any help is appreciated. Thanks you

 

what brand HID parts do you have?

 

First thing. Check to see if you have a HID wiring relay. Then check the actual relay to see if it's "clicking" on and off with the switch. 9 times out of 10 its just a corroded relay thats sticking. If that seams to be fine, use a volt meter or test light at the ballast plug to see if your getting power to the ballast. If both lights are acting similar I would say its an old relay.

 

change the title of the thread to HID Help, or something like that. thread with "HELP" as title sux balls, I checked it thinking you were in danger, or needed a pull out of somewhere

 

I just page The Chosen One.

@tcBob

 

I got them from the retrofit source. I installed them about 4 years ago and they have been fine. When i turn my lights on, the realys dont make a sound. When i turn the switch a
On and on a few times, then the lights turn on and the ballasts make a sound....i just dont want to be stuck out at nught with no lights....so is it a ballast problem? Or corrosion?

 

@TRSAndrew @TRSJimmy

 

Sounds like you have a corroded relay. try turning on the lights and then tapping the relay to see if it clicks. If it does you definitely have a worn relay and it needs to be replaced

 

Okay ill give that a shot and let you know

 

Hey man! Sorry for such a delay. Been super busy with school and such. But yes, you can isolate the problem by plugging your ballast straight to your battery. If all that works, it sounds like you have a relay problem. If you purchased the 35w system through TRS, you're still within warranty time frame. Call us Tuesday and ask for Jimmy. I'll send one out for you!

 

So how do i go about plugging the ballast straight to the battery? Do you have any digrams that i could follow step by step? Thanks

 

Assuming you are using an aftermarket wiring harness, you should be able to plug the ballast straight into the OEM plugs that the old incandescent bulbs "used" to be plugged into

 

You can simply use a pigtail with alligator clips or something similar and plug the + and - to the battery.

 

ALL FIXED! I ORDERED A NEW HARNESS AND NOW IT WORKS FINE! THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP GUYS

 

I'm going through this same problem now. However, it's just my left headlight. Sunday, the left headlight was flickering and wouldn't turn on. While driving home from work it finally came on. The past two days the lights wouldnt turn on. The passenger side headlight is working fine. I checked the connections and everything seems tight and in order. If i'm just having problems with the drivers side headlight canit still be the relay? or would I be having a problem with both headlights if it was the relay?

 

Are you turning on the lights before or after you start the car. I know on mine the ballast won't start the passenger bulb because of fluctuating voltage. Once I start my truck I then wait a couple seconds before I turn on my headlights. I don't have DRL's though so that could be a problem. You may need to run a new HID wire harness to bypass the low voltage from the stock headlight harness.

 

I always turn my headlights on after I start my truck. I don't have DRL. They have been working flawless for years and just this week I started having problems.

 

I replaced the wiring harness, it was like 30 dollars and now it works fine. I could be a loose connection in the box or corrosion...

 

Try flipping the ballasts and see if the problem follows to the other side. If it does then it's the ballast.